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Water in the Freeman House: a study of the block in the textile block construction assembly as the primary route for water infiltration

WATER IN THE FREEMAN HOUSE:
A STUDY OF THE BLOCK IN THE TEXTILE BLOCK CONSTRUCTION
ASSEMBLY AS THE PRIMARY ROUTE FOR WATER INFILTRATION
by
Alice Ormsbee
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF BUILDING SCIENCE
December 2006
Copyright 2006 Alice Ormsbee

The Freeman House, a textile block building by Frank Lloyd Wright, has a long history of water infiltration problems which continue today. Techniques were used to determine the primary cause of water infiltration. Roof profile analysis was used to determine the slope of the flat kitchen and living room roofs, x-ray diffraction was used to study the composition of the efflorescence present throughout the building, and Karsten pipe analysis was used to determine the absorption rate of the blocks.; The roof was found to be sound, and the gross morphology of the efflorescence in the kitchen suggests that infiltration through the roof is not necessarily the source of infiltration in that location. X-ray diffraction revealed the efflorescence to be thenardite, a potentially very destructive salt. Karsten pipe analysis showed astounding absorption in the block, leading to the conclusion that the primary source of water infiltration is via the blocks themselves.

WATER IN THE FREEMAN HOUSE:
A STUDY OF THE BLOCK IN THE TEXTILE BLOCK CONSTRUCTION
ASSEMBLY AS THE PRIMARY ROUTE FOR WATER INFILTRATION
by
Alice Ormsbee
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF BUILDING SCIENCE
December 2006
Copyright 2006 Alice Ormsbee